Citizenship bill presented

A new bill foreseeing the granting of Greek citizenship to tens of thousands of second-generation immigrants was put up for public consultation on Thursday.

The bill, which is to remain open for consultation until May 25 before being finalized for submission to Parliament, stipulates that the applicant must have been enrolled at a Greek primary school. In addition, at least one of their parents must have lived legally in Greece for five years prior to their birth.

A previous law, passed by a PASOK government in 2010, allowed second-generation immigrants to claim Greek citizenship if both their parents had lived legally in the country for at least five years.